Railway axle-box



(No Model.)

J. W; MARSHALL & C. S. BATES.

RAILWAY AXLE BOX.

No. 357,721. Patented Feb. 15,1887.

NrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J USTIGE \V. MARSHALL, OF GAZENOVIA, AND CHESTER S. BATES, OF SARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK.

RAILWAY AXLE-=BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 357,721, dated February 15, 1887.

Application filed May 21, 1886. Serial No. 202,830. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J USTIOE W. MARSHALL, of Cazenovia, in the county of Madison and State of New York, and CHESTER S. BATES, of Saratoga Springs, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railway Axle- Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide for the more effective lubrication of the journals and boxes of railway-axles by so constructing the box and combining the axle therewith that the box may be maintained nearly or quite full of oil, in which the journal turns.

In carrying out our invention the axle has upon the outer side of the wheel a journal of reduced diameter, as is usual, and the axle box, which preferably has the portions above and below the axle in one integral piece, is closed liquid-tight by a cap at the outer end of the axle, and at the inner end of the axlebox is provided-a stuffing-box having a packing-gland which receives through it and is fitted to thelarger portion of the axle inward of the journal, and packing-bolts for tightening the gland and packing, wherebyprovision is afforded for retaining in the box oil in sufficient quantity to rise in contact with and around the journal. The gland of the stuffingbox, at the inner end of the axle-box, and the cap,which closes the outer end of the axle-box, may both be held in place by bolts which extend through them both and from end to end of the axle-box parallel with the axle, and by means of the same nuts applied to these bolts the gland may be tightened in the stuffing-box, and the cap at the outer end of the axle-box may be tightly secured in place.

The invention consists in novel combinations of parts, which are hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an axial section of an axlebox embodying our invention and a side view of a portion of the axle and wheel. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section on the plane of the dotted line a: :0, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section through the axle-box and a plan of the axle portion and wheel; and Fig. 4 is a transverse section upon the plane of the dotted line 3/ y, Fig. 1, look ing toward the inner end of the axle-box.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A designates the axle-box, which in many respects is of ordinary construction, and is provided at the top with lips or flanges b, and at the bottom with corresponding lips or flanges, 12, whereby it is held in place lengthwise in the housings of the car-truck, to which it is fitted. The axle-box may have at the sides vertical holes or sockets b, which receive through them vertical bolts,(not here shown,) and by which the axle-box is Secured to the truck-frame. As here shown, the portions of the axle-box above and below the axle are in one integral piece, and leakage of oil, which might result if the axlebox were made of upper and lower halves or sections bolted together, is prevented.

B designates the axle on which the wheel 0 is secured, and which has at the end an ordinary journal, B, of reduced diameter.

D designates the brass cap or hearing proper, which rests upon the top of thejournal B, and supports the superposed weight. This bearing D is fitted between vertical walls or checks 0, formed in the axlebox A, as is usual, and above the brass cap D is a wedge or packingpiece, D, which is interposed between the brass cap D and the top of the axle-box A.

At the outer end the axle-boxA is closed by a cap, E, secured thereto so as to form an oiltight or liquid-tight joint, a packing, d, of leather or other suitable material, being introduced between the box and cap. This cap E is held in place by bolts F, which we shall hereinafter describe more particularly. At its inner end the axle-box A is provided with a stufiing-box, which receives through it, and is fitted to the larger portion of the axle immediately inward of the journal 13. As here represented, the inner end of the axle-box A is recessed or rabbeted at 6, so as to receive a packing, f, of hemp and plumbago or any other suitable fibrous material. This stuffingbox is fitted with a gland, G, which, as here represented, has a rectangular plate or outer journal moves more or less into and out of the face portion, as shown in Fig. 4., and we have here shown a leather cup-packing,f, as interposed between the packing f and the inner end of the gland G. The inner end of the gland may be suitably recessed around its bore,in order to accommodate and fit properly the leather cup-packing f. The bolts F,' which secure the cap E in place, are represented as long enough to extend the entire length of the box A and also through the gland G. In order to prevent them turning when a wrench is applied to the double nuts f 2 at their outer ends, the bolts are represented in Fig. 4 as having square headsf which fit corresponding recesses, f",in the gland G. The bolt-heads themselves do not project beyond the outer face of the gland, and by tightening up the nuts f the gland may be ti htened upon the packing, so as to prevent any leakage of oil around the axle, and the cap E may likewise be tightly secu redin place. We have here represented a supplemental oil-chamber, h, below the main cavity in the axle-box, and which communicates with said main cavity containing the journal by a narrow groove, h. We have shown at the top of the box a bore or hole, 2', for the introduction of oil, and at the bottom of the box a corresponding hole or bore, t", through which the oil may be withdrawn when it becomes necessary to renew the brass cap or hearing B or when access is desired to the journal or hearing for any other purpose.

The oil-holes it" may be closed by screw plugs i or otherwise, and the holei enters through the wedge or piece D.

It will be noticed that the length of the journal between the shoulders I) is greater than the length of the brass cap or bearing D, as is usual, and this provides for the axial movement of the axle B more or less into and out of the axle-box during travel.

In the ordinary use of the axle the box is supposed to be very nearly full of oil-that is to say, the entire space within the box will be filled with oil slightly above the journal B, and to the face of the brass cap or bearing D; hence the most copious lubrication of the journal and bearing is provided for without the employment of any waste, and, as the axle-box during travel, the end of the journal Will be cushioned by the oil, and will have in effect a sort of pumping action upon the oil, which will cause it to circulate or flow through the different portions of the oil-space within the box A, and so insure the effective lubrication of the journal and bearing. Even if the axle-box is not filled with oil to the level described, but only contains sufficient oil to rise partly around the journal B, a copious lubrication of the journal and bearing will result. The axle-box after being once filled with oil and tightly closed will require no attention, except as it may be necessary from time to time to tighten up the gland G, to more efagainst the outflow of any oil by leakage, and by the use of this box the heating of journals will be effectually prevented.

The invention may be embodied in axleboxes for all species of cars, whether for use upon street-railways, elevated rails, or for general surface traffic.

"We prefer to make the box with an internal shoulder, 8, near the front or outer end, so arranged or located relatively to the end of the axle that the end of the axle will strike thereon before the shoulder b, at the inner end of the journal B, comes against the brass box D, and the front plate, E, be thereby relieved of strain.

We are aware of Patent No. 184,140, granted to L. R. Bula, November 7, 1876, and which shows a car-axle box having at the inner end having above the journal a closed reservoir, from which oil is supplied to the journal-bearing in small quantity sufficient for temporary lubrication. The box is not oiltight, and will not retain oil in sufficient quantity to rise in contact with and around the journal. The dust-ring at the inner end of the box would not prevent the oil from rapidly leaking out if any quantity were allowed to accumulate in the bottom of the box. We do not desire to include such a box in our invention.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a car-axle and a wheel fast thereon, the outer end portion beyond the wheel being necked or reduced in diameter to form the journal, of an axle-box having the portions above and below the axle in one integral piece, and having the cap E, closing the box liquid-tight at the end of the axle, and having at the inner end a stuffing- ,box provided with a packinggland and receiving through it and fitted to thelarger portion of the axle inward of the journal, and gland-bolts for tightening said gland, whereby provision is afforded for retaining in the box a quantity of oil sufficient to rise in contact with and around the journals, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with the car-axle B, having the journal B, of reduced diameter, of the box A, the cap E, forming a liquid-tight joint with the outer end of the box, the stuffing-box at the inner end of the axle-box, comprising a gland, G, for pressing the packing in the stuffing-box, and which is fitted to the larger portion of the axle inward of the j ournal, and bolts F, extending the length of the box parallel with the axle, and through the said cap and gland, and by which boththe cap and gland are secured in place, whereby provision is afforded for retaining in the box a quantity of oil sufficient to rise into contact with and around the journal, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, with the car-axle B, having the reduced journal B, of the axle-box fectively close the inner end of the axle-box A, closed liquid-tight at the outer end and re a simple dust-ring fitting around the axle and IIO cessed or rabbeted at e in itsinner end to form a stufling-box, the gland G, fitting the larger portion of the axle inward of the journal, the fibrous packing-ring f in the stufiing'boxand the leather packing fbetween the packing f and the gland, substantially as herein described.

4. The combination, with a caraxle and a wheel fast thereon, the portion of the axle beyond the wheel being necked or reduced in diameter to form ajournal, ofan axle'box closed liquid-tight at the outer end of the axle and containing a brass or hearing cap, D, less in length thanthejournal, and having inward of the end an inward projection or shoulder, which forms a stop for the end of the axle to limit the movement of the brass or bearing JUSTICE \V. MARSHALL. CHESTER S. BATES.

\Vitnesses for Justice W. Marshall:

BENJAMIN F. BINNEY, J AMES A. W'EEEEE.

Vitnesses for Chester S. Bates:

WILLARD LESTER, J AMES W, LEs'rEE. 

